ARTIST NEWS

Calidore String Quartet keeps audience on the edge of their seats for new Caroline Shaw piece

Their sound is warm and vibrant, and their hand-in-glove ensemble playing leaves plenty of room for individuality. Most important, every note is filled with character.

The opener was Haydn’s late String Quartet in F, Op. 77, No. 2, in a performance that captured all its joy and drama against a backdrop of scintillatingly rich textures. They closed with Robert Schumann’s Third String Quartet, bringing such passionate commitment to the piece that it described an arc of inspiration from beginning to end. The second movement was fleet and furtive, with a subtle give-and-take in tempo, and the voluptuous slow movement was heart-rendingly tender. Loving consideration of Schumann’s expressive gestures resulted in a gripping, emotionally cohesive performance.

The main event, however, was Caroline Shaw’s “Three Essays,” written for the Calidore and commissioned by a consortium that included the Phillips.

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The Calidore brought every playful and profound moment of “Essays” to life. I’ve never experienced a new piece of music (this was only its third public performance since the Calidore premiered it last summer in London) that kept a room full of people on the edge of their seats, rapt throughout. But this one did.